Propulsion means for flying machines



Aug. 7, 1923. 1,464,233

A. E. BEEBE PROPULSION MEANS FOR FLYING'MACHINES Filed Jan. s 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR flE-Beee A TTORIVEYS WI T/VESSES WWW Aug. 7, 1923. 1,464,233

A. E. BEEBE v PROPULSION MEANS FOR FLYING MACHINES Filed Jan. 31. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 vwnvsssss J5 INVENTOH a We .Beea. Maw K A TTORNEYS limit. These combined guides and stops are all of identical construction so that a disclosure of one combined stop and guide serves to illustrate the construction of the guide stops and guides 36, 37 as well As shown in Figure 4, this combined guide and stop comprises a plurality of spaced bars 38, and by referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that these bars are secured at their inner ends to the slide'or carrier 27. At their outer ends the bars 34 are connected to a transverse bar 39 which is also connected to the slide 'or carrier by means of brace bars to. The propeller blades freely opcrate within the bars of their carriers and when they have been swung to full open position they engage and lie flush against the inclined bars 38. During their movement from feathering position against their slide or carrier to open position, the side edges of these propeller blades engage the brace bars which thus also constitute guide bars.

Means is provided for simultaneously reciprocating the slides 27 and 28 whereby operative propelling movement is imparted to the propeller blades 3%, 85, 36 and 37. This means preferably includes a yoke having arms 46 pivotally connected at their ends with links 47, the links 47 and 48 being in turn pivotally connected to the slides 27 and 28. Intermediate its ends the yoke is pivotally connected as at 49 to one end of one section 50 of a telescoping shaft 52, the remote end ofthe other section of the shaft being connected to a universal joint 53 which is also connected to one end of a pitman or connecting rod 54 the other end of which is pivotally connected to a crank shaft The crank shaft is driven from an engine by suitable motion transmission means or gearin The action of the propeller blades may be varied, that is to say, the propeller blades may be controlled to exert either a forward pull, an upward lift or a conibined pulle and lift by tilting the movable frame 21. This tilting of the movable frame 21 is brought about by turning the supporting shaft 22. Any suitable means may be provided for turning this shaft 22 and one such means is shown in Figures 2 and 3 and comprises a beveled gear 57 fixed to the supporting shaft 22 and meshed with a second beveled gear 58 carried at the end of a controlling shaft 59, the control shaft being actuated by means of a hand wheel (30 fixed to a short shaft (31 and connected by a gear 62 with the control shaft 59.

Any number of power units may be organized with the aeroplane and they may be arranged in any desired or suitable manner. One arrangement is shown in Figure 1 above described and another arrangement is shown in Figure 5. In Figure 5 the powable frame 21 in any position to which it may be adjusted with respect to the stationary frame. Suchreleasable locking means may comprise a pivoted dog or pawl engageable with suitable notches orrecesses formed in the shaft 22 or in a disk or other element fixed to the shaft, the pawl or dog being controlled by a hand lever and suitablemotion transmission means from the seat or other convenient point of control. Again this releasable locking means may comprise a spring pressed locking rod 60 carried by the movable hand wheel and engageable with the movable notches or sockets provided in the adjacent bearing.

I claim:

1. In a propulsion apparatus for use with aeroplanes, a frame having ways therein, slides operating in said ways and constituting propeller carriers, propeller blades pivotally connected to said slides, combined guides and stops carried by said slides and coacting with said propeller blades, and means for reciprocating said slides including a yoke having arms, links pivotally connected with the arms and with said slides, a telescopic shaft having one end pivotally connected to said yoke, a universal coupling connected to the other section of said telescopic shaft, a crank shaft, and a pitman tween said crank shaft and said universal coupling. y

2. In a propulsion apparatus for use with aeroplanes, a main frame, a supporting shaft rotatably journaled in. said main frame, a movable frame, spiders secured to said movable frame and having hubs fixed to said supporting shaft, reciprocating slides carried by said movable frame and propellers arranged upon said propeller carriers, and means to tilt said movable frame to vary the action of said propellers, said means comprising a beveled gear fixed to said supporting shaft, a control shaft having a beveled gear meshed with said first mentioned beveled gear and hand operated means for turn ing said control shaft.

3. In a propulsion apparatus for use with aeroplanes, a main frame, a supporting shaft rotatably journaled in said main frame, a movable frame, spiders secured to said movable frame and having hubs fixed to said supporting shaft, reciprocating slides carried by said movable frame and propellers arranged upon said propeller carriers, and means to tilt said movable frame to vary the action oi said propellers, and said means being cooperable With said supporting shaft.

45. In a propulsion apparatus for use with aeroplanes, a plane having a slide-Way therein, a reciproeatingslide operating in said slideway and constituting a propeller 1 carrier, a pair of propellers pivotally connected to said reciprocating slide, and a combined guide and stop for each of said propeller blades comprising a series oi inclined bars secured at their inner end to said reciproosting slide, a transversebar secured to the outer ends of said inclined bars, and combined guide and bracebars connected with said transverse bar and with said reciprocating slide.

' ALBERT E. BEEBE. 

